Machine for forming cigar bunches



Sept. 9, 1941. L. FERENCI MACHINE FOR FORMING CIGAR BUNCHES 2' Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Jan. 2, 193'? 'INYENTOR l. e sfer fireucl' BY ATTORNEY Sept. 9, 1941. L. FERENCI 2,255,051

.MACHINE FOR FORMING CIGAR BUNCHES I Original Filed Jan. 2, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Zasfer frezzcz I BY I l ATTORNEY fiatented Sept. 9, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE MACHINE FOR FORMING CIGAR BUNCHES Lester Ferenci, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to International Cigar Machinery Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application January 2, 1937, Serial No. 118,810 Renewed May 1, 1940 This invention relates to cigar bunch machines, 1 i

17 Claims.

more particularly to long filler feeds for the same. Its main object is to obtain uniformity in the density of the bunches produced.

The stream of tobacco formed by placing the stemmed leaves in the feed channel of the bunch 1 machine by the attendant is limited by the vertical belts forming the sides of the channel and hence is constant in width and variable in height, depending on the number of layers of leaves placed therein. Therefore by superposing the individual bunch lengths cut from this stream in a vertical column, instead of side by side in a horizontal column as heretofore, a tobacco mass of constant cross-section is obtained from which the bunch charges are separated, and thus greater shaft 1 has a sprocket l2 which is intermittently driven by a chain |3 from a sprocket M on a shaft |5 which is intermittently driven by a pawl and ratchet mechanism controlled by the height of the column of filler tobacco in a chamber l6,

: as will be described hereinafter.

The stream of tobacco T is advanced on to a tilting platform I? when the same is in its upper position if, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, at the outer end of a discharge chamber formed by stationary side walls |8, l8 and a bottom plate I9 aligned with the channel formed by belts 5 and ii, and 6' respectively. The platform I1 is mounted on an arm 25 pivoted on a shaft 2| supported by the frame 22 of the machine. The

1 arm is connected by a rod 23 with a lever 24 fulcrumed on a shaft 25 and having a roller 25 held against a plate cam 21 on cam shaft 28 by a spring 29 anchored to the frame of the machine and connected to the arm 25.

While the feed belts 5, 6 and 6' are stopped, a

I clamp arm 3|) pivoted on shaft 2| and actuated thereof, and a bunch charge of predetermined volume and customary thickness is separated from the column after the same has been compacted vertically. The filler feed may be of any suitable type, but the cross feed type illustrated in the present embodiment of the invention is preferred.

In the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a cigar bunch machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail view on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top view from line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is -a plan view of the mechanism for actuating the bunch charge cutter and the follower plate; and

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic sectional view of the path of the filler sections and the various operations thereon in transit to bunch rolling apron.

Referring to the drawing, the stream of filler tobacco T is advanced within a channel formed by a horizontal feed belt 5 and two vertical feed belts B, 6 (Fig. 2) which are intermittently driven in the direction of the arrows from a shaft 1. The drive pulley 8 of the horizontal belt is mounted on the shaft 1, and the shafts 9 of the drive pulleys ID of the vertical belts are driven from shaft 1 by bevel gears The 55 against a plate cam 53 on shaft 28 by an adjustby a cam lever 3| connected to arm by a rod 32, descends upon the'stream of tobacco T previously advanced on platform I1 and holds it in place While a corrugated cutter 33 severs a bunch length T. The configuration of the cutter is such that it will trim the end of the severed bunch length to the shape suiting the particular 1 taper of the cigar bunch end and the adjacent end of the nextbunch length is simultaneouslyshaped, as is well known in the art. The underlying edge of the platform has a portion which is cut away to conform to the configuration of the knife. The lever 3! is actuated by an arm 35 fast on its fulcrum shaft 35 and carrying a roller 39 attached to a slide :20 reciprocating in frame 22, the said slide having a trunnion 4| engaging a lever 42 fulcrumed on shaft 25 and provided with a roller 43 in engagement with a cam track 44 in the rear surface of cam 35.

After severance of the bunch length T, the platform ll is swung by the lever '24 into its lower position shown in full lines, and the arm 35 is similarly actuated by its cam lever 32, whereupon a rake 48 resting on the platform and swinging on a pivot 41 on the end of an arm 68 pushes the charge T into position T" on a forked plate 49. The arm 48 is actuated by a cam lever 50 fast on its fulcrum shaft 5| and carrying a roller 52 held able weight carried by a rod 54 fast on shaft 5|. If desired the width of the filler stream may exceed the width of the bunch charges and the rake 46 may be actuated to compress the bunch lengths to the desired width. By virtue of this arrangement a thinner stream of filler tobacco may be utilized, wherefore the attendant may build up the filler stream more rapidly and run the machine at a higher speed.

Following the ejection of the bunch length T, the platform ll, clamp arm 38 and rake 46 return to their initial positions ll, 3i) and 66, respectively, shown in dotted lines. The cam shaft 23 has a sprocket 55 continuously driven by a chain 56 from a sprocket 5'! on the drive shaft 53, which is driven from the main drive of the machine by a sprocket 59 and chain 68, connected to'the main drive of the machine.

The prongs of plate 59 project through slots in the side walls of the vertical chamber I6, as shown in Fig. 3, and the plate is fastened to a block SI attached to horizontal rods 62 slidable in a member 63 carried by parallel links 655, 64' and 85, E5 pivoted on a bracket 65 attached to frame 22 and assuring a parallel up and down motion to member 63. The slots in the side walls of chamber 16 for the reception of the prongs of plate 49, extend only partially from the top of the chamber, the lower portion of the same being left solid. To arm 64 is attached a rod 8? connecting the same with a cam lever 58 which has a roller 69 held against a plate cam iii by a spring H. On the block 6! is pivoted a link '12 which is connected to a stud 13 on a bell crank lever '54 fulcrumed on shaft 2!, thelever 12 being actuated by a cam-operated rod 15 from a cam (not shown).

The plate 49 after having received the bunch as hereinafter described, drops upon a slotted plate it which forms the bottom of a horizontal chamber l1 below the open vertical chamber it. Adjacent the bottom of chamber 16 is mounted a horizontal knife blade 18 attached to a plate '79 which is vibrated or reciprocated longitudinally with the knife blade by a connecting rod 85 attached to the plate by a pin fastened to the plate and connected to a crank 85 rotated by a shaft 82 driven by gears 83 from a shaft 84. An arm 85 linked to a rod 86 actuated by a cam lever 87 is fastened to a sleeve 88 in which the shaft 82 turns, the sleeve being supported by a stand 89 fastened to the bed of frame 22, and carries the head 99' whereon the plate 19 is slidably mounted. Since the aforesaid crank 85 is clamped to sleeve 88, it swings the entire unit laterally to and fro. Behind the knife 73, in the horizontal plane of its rotation, is a segmental follower plate 9! mounted on support so.

The knife 78 separates a bunch charge B from the column T and the thickness of the stream of tobacco whence the bunch lengths are severed, is maintained by the attendant to supply bimch lengths having a greater quantity of tobacco than required for one bunch. The separated bunch charge is then pushed by a plunger 92 into a movable charge transfer 93, of well known construction, such, for instance, as shown in Patent No. 1,838,192, issued December 29, 1931, to R. E. Rundell, which delivers the same to the rolling apron 9-3. The plate 9i, which partakes of the swinging motion of the knife '18 but not of its reciprocating motion, supports the tobacco column in chamber i5 after the bunch charge B has been cut and until the plunger 92 has delivered the bunch charge to the charge transfer and returned to its starting position.v At this time the plate 9! and the chamber 1'! maintain the separated bunch in compacted condition while it is advanced into the charge transfer. The plunger 92 has an. arm passing through the slot in plate 15 and attached to a slide 95 mounted on a pair of rods 95 supported by a standard 89, and the slide 95 is moved into position 95 to push the bunch charge into the charge transfer and then back, by a cam-operated lever 97. The construction of the cutter l8 and the above described mechanism for actuating the same forms the subject matter of my co-pending application, Serial Number 389,781, filed December 12, 1940.

The surplus tobacco from bunch length T, after the return of plunger 92 and knife 18 into their starting positions, drops on plate 76 and is augmented by the next bunch length and brought down by plate 3%, the accumulation of these surplusses causing the height of the tobacco column in chamber is to gradually rise. \Vhen the height of this column has risen above the unslotted portion of chamber it, the plate 15 can no longer descend to position 69 but stops when it has compacted the tobacco column to a density determined by the tension of spring H, the remainder of the stroke of lever 53 being absorbed by the stretching of the spring H which permits the roller 69 to be lifted off cam 70. In practical operation, the blade 78 and plunger 92 are preferably not set into action until the plate 59 has delivered enough bunch lengths to fill the unslotted portion of chamber It, so that the first bunch charge actually used for production is separated from a compacted tobacco column.

When the height of the tobacco column in chamber i8 is low, an adjustable stop screw 98 carried by an arm 99 fast on the fulcrum shaft Iii-Ii of the arms 6 and 65 engages with a detent or latch [I'll fulcrumed on a stud I82. This latch is urged by a spring 103 into a position wherein it retains a curved arm i641 pivoted on a stud I05, in its normal position shown. To the arm N14 is fastened a semi-circular cam piece 566 on which rides a roller it! carried by a pawl Hi8 pivoted on an arm 109 loosely mounted on a shaft lit, thereby normally holding the pawl away from a ratchet H I fixedly mounted on the shaft I in against the tension of a leaf spring H2 bearing against the pawl [98 and anchored to arm 589. (Fig. 2). The shaft Hi7 carries a bevel gear H3 which drives a bevel gear H4 on the shaft 15 which controls the feed of tobacco T as heretofore described.

On the arm its is pivoted a link H5 provided with a slot receiving a pin H6 of a crank H1 fastened on drive shaft 58, the slot being elongated sufiiciently to provide lost motion of the link so that the arm H19 may be vibrated at the desired intervals.

When the detent Hil is tripped by the screw 98, the arm I04 is pulled by a spring IIB against a stop II9, thereby turning the cam piece I into the dotted position whereupon the spring I I2 presses the pawl I08 into engagement with the ratchet III which thus partakes of the next forward stroke of arm I09. The turning of ratchet III causes the shaft IIO to transmit motion to countershaft I5 which in turn rotates the feed shaft '1 and drives the feed belts 5, 6 and 6' But when the column in chamber I6 has risen beyond a certain predetermined height, which in the present embodiment of the invention corresponds to the height of the unslotted portion of the chamber, the downward motion of plate 49 is stopped by the column before the screw .98 trips the lever IOI. The pawl I08 therefore remains in its ineffective position and no tobacco is fed during that cycle of the machine. The platform I! then descends empty and no additional tobacco is delivered to chamber I6 until the height of the column has fallen below the critical height upon removal of the required number of bunch charges to the charge transfer. The screw 98 is so adjusted that the tripping height of the column is somewhat more than one charge-height above the lowermost possible position of plate 49, so that the minimum height of the column upon charge removal following a feedless cycle will remain above the unslotted portion of the chamber and the column will be subjected to the pressure of plate 49. This pressure, which is regulated by adjusting the tension of spring II, controls the tobacco density in chamber 11 after the lower portion of chamber I6 has been filled to the tripping height, so that bunch charges B of uniform density are obtained by this arrangement.

The inner face of cam piece IDS is provided with a raised portion I20 engageable with a finger I2I pivoted on arm I09 and held against a stop therein by a spring I23. During the forward motion of arm I09 the finger I2] by virtue of the yielding of spring I23 passes under the projection I20, but on its backward motion is maintained in engagement with the projection by the stop I22, and thus raises the cam piece into pawl-lifting position, thereby resetting the trip lever IOI which then is ready for the next cycle.

The charge transformer 93, which is controlled by suitable mechanism I24 of well known type, for up-and-down motion, and by mechanism I25 of conventional construction, for swinging the same around its horizontal axis, delivers the bunch charge B into the loop of the rolling apron 94 attached to a table I26 on which the same is rolled within a binder by a rolling pin I21 in a well known manner, to form a bunch. The named mechanisms are automatically operated in synchronism with the feed mechanism herein described.

As stated above, each bunch length T delivered by the tobacco feed should contain at least as much tobacco as is required for one bunch charge B. For high speed operation, this ratio can be increased to two or more times this quantity, so that the feed belts will operate intermittently every second bunch, thereby affording the operator more time for feeding. While the invention has been described in connection with the production of long filler cigar bunches, it will be understood that it is applicable to scrap bunch cigar machines.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with means for feeding a stream of long filler tobacco, of a vertical chamber, mechanism for separating bunch lengths from said stream and delivering them to said chamber to form a vertical column of tobacco, a member for compacting said column, said member being provided. with a part arranged to enter said chamber to receive a bunch length from said mechanism, descend in said chamber with the bunch length deposited thereon and to compact the column of tobacco therebelow and then withdraw from said chamber while delivering the lowered bunch length on top of said column, and mechanism for actuating said member.

2. The combination with means for feeding a stream of long filler tobacco, of a vertical chamber, mechanism for separating bunch lengths from said stream and delivering them to said chamber to form a vertical column of tobacco, V

a member for compacting said column, the upper portion of said chamber being slotted, and said member being provided with prongs arranged to enter said slots to receive a bunch length from said mechanism, descend in said chamber with the bunch length deposited thereon to compact the column of tobacco therebelow and then withdraw from said slots to deliver the lowered bunch length on top of said column, and mechanism for actuating said member.

3. The combination with means for feeding a stream of long filler tobacco, of a vertical chamber, mechanism for separating bunch lengths from said stream and delivering them to said chamber to form a vertical column of tobacco, a member for compacting said column, the upper end of said chamber being slotted, and said member being provided with prongs arranged to enter said slots to receive a bunch length from said mechanism, descend in said chamber with the bunch length deposited thereon to compact the column of tobacco therebelow and then withdraw from said slots to deliver the lowered bunch length on top of said column, and mechanism for actuating said member, said first named mechanism operating to compress the bunch length to the Width of the chamber while delivering it upon said member.

4. The combination with a vertical chamber arranged to receive a column of tobacco, of a compactor operating to compress said column of tobacco from above and simultaneously lower a section of tobacco for subsequent deposit on the tobacco in said chamber.

5. The combination with a vertical chamber arranged to receive a column of tobacco, of a compactor operating to compress said column of tobacco from above and simultaneously lower a section of tobacco into said chamber, said compactor operating to withdraw from said chamber after it has compacted said column and thereby deposit the lowered tobacco section on top of the column.

6. The combination with a vertical chamber arranged to receive a column of tobacco, of a movable platformadapted to lower sections of tobacco to a position adjacent the upper end of said chamber, a member movable into position to receive a tobacco section from said platform and descend with the section into the chamber to deposit the same therein, and means for transferring a tobacco section from said platform,

while the same is in its lowered position, to said receive a column of tobacco, of a movable support adapted to lower sections of tobacco from the upper end of said magazine on to tobacco in the lower portion of said magazine, and means for moving the support from a position overlying the upper end of the magazine downwardly into a position adjacent tobacco in the lower portion of said magazine, said mechanism including devices for withdrawing the support while in said lower position to deposit the said tobacco section on the tobacco already in the magazine, and returning the same to said upper position.

8. In a cigar machine, the combination with a device for feeding a stream of tobacco, of means for separating sections from said stream and superimposing them to form a vertical column, and mechanism normally operative to incapacitate said device when the height of said column rises above a predetermined level, said mechanism including a compactor for feeding sections to said column and simultaneously compacting the tobacco in said column to a predetermined density.

9. In a cigar machine, the combination with means for feeding a stream of tobacco, of mechanism for separating sections from said stream and superimposing them to form a verticalcolumn, said mechanism comprising a compactor member arranged to receive and transfer said sections to said column and to compact the-tobacco in said column prior to delivery of an'additional section thereto, and a device controlled by said compactor normally operative to incapacitate said means whenever the height of said column rises above a predetermined height.

10. The combination with mechanism for feeding a stream of filler tobacco, of means for separating sections from said stream, mechanism for forming a compacted column of superimposed sections comprising a compactor member provided with upper and lower working surfaces, means for moving said compactor member to receive successively delivered sections on the upper surface thereof, and lower said compactor to bring its lower surface in contact with the top of said column while said section remains upon its upper surface, and means for removing said compactor from said column to deliver the section upon said upper surface to said column.

11. The combination with mechanism for feeding a stream of filler tobacco, of means for separating sections from said stream, mechanism for forming a compacted column of superimposed sections comprising a compactor member, means for presenting said compactor member for receiving successive sections on the upper surface thereof, and to lower said compactor to bring its lower surface in contact with the top of said column while said section remains upon its upper surface, means for removing said compactor from said column and delivering said section upon the top thereof, and controller means associated with said compactor for incapacitating the feeding of said stream whenever the elevation of said column reaches a predetermined level.

12. The combination with a vertical chamber arranged to receive a column of tobacco, of a compactor-constructedand arranged to operate therein, said compactor being provided with an upper surface for receiving bunch length sections of tobacco, and a lower'surface for compacting the tobacco in said column during the transfer of said sections to a point of discharge in said chamher, and means for moving said compactor to deliver each of said sections in superimposed relationship upon the tobacco in said chamber,

13. The combination with a vertical chamber arranged to receive a column of tobacco, of a compactor adapted to operate within said chamber, said compactor being provided with an upper bunch section receiving surface and a lower compressing surface, and means for lowering a section of tobacco on said upper surface into said chamber while compressing the tobacco already in said. column.

14. The combination with a vertical chamber arrangedto receive a column of tobacco, of a movable platform adapted to lower sections of tobacco to a position adjacent the upper end of said chamber, a member movable into position to receive a tobacco section from said platform and descend with the section thereon into the chamber to deposit the same therein, means for transferring a tobacco section from said platform to said member while said platform is in its lowered position,and means controlled by said memher for preventing the feed of tobacco to said platform whenever the tobacco in said column reaches a predetermined level.

15. In a cigar bunch machine, the combination with mechanism for feeding a stream of long filler tobacco, of a vertical chamber for confining a column of tobacco, means for separating sections from said stream, a member having a horizontal filler supporting surface movable vertically into said chamber and adapted to support and carry the separated filler sections verticallyinto said chamber into juxtaposition to the tobacco therein to form a vertical column of superimposed filler sections, anda device controlled by said member to incapacitate said mechanism when the quantity of tobacco in said column exceeds a predetermined amount.

16. In a cigar machine, the combination with a chamber adapted to confine a vertical column of long filler cigar bunch lengths, of a horizontal member adapted to support a long filler cigar bunch length, and means for moving said member vertically with a rectilinear motion to carry the bunch length into said. chamber and compact the column of tobacco therein to a predetermined density.

17.. In a cigar machine, the combination with means for feeding a stream of filler tobacco, of mechanism for separating bunch lengths from said stream and superimposing them to form a vertical column of tobacco, said mechanism including a compactor arranged to receive and transfer severed bunch lengths to said column and compact said column to a predetermined density, and a device controlled by said compactor operative to incapacitate said means whenever the height of said column exceeds a predetermined limit.

LESTER FERENCI. 

